11/05/2011
Motorists may be given on-the-spot fines from police if they are caught driving carelessly as part of a new strategy to improve the safety of Britain's roads.
Offences including tailgating, undertaking or cutting up drivers could result in a immediate charge, reported to be up to £100, instead of a court appearance.
The Department for Transport also confirmed that a loophole allowing people to avoid drink-driving charges will be closed, while a crackdown will be implemented over drug-driving.
Motorists who have been disqualified will be forced to receive further training, a possibly a retest, before they are given their licence back.
Courts will also be encouraged to use their powers to take away vehicles for the most serious offences more often.
But in a written statement to MPs, transport secretary Philip Hammond will also announce a new approach to drivers who make genuine mistakes on the roads and extra help for those who have just passed their tests and need to keep improving their skills.
A wider range of retraining and education courses will be on offer for low-level offences. And novice drivers will be able to take additional qualifications to reassure insurers that they are safe behind the wheel, in a bid to reverse the steep upward trend in car insurance premiums for less experienced motorists.
A source close to Mr Hammond said the new strategy represented a "sea change" from Labour's approach, which relied heavily on speed cameras and failed to differentiate between problem drivers and essentially safe motorists who make an honest mistake.
